An Unfortunate Twist of Fate
by sophis-reinis
Summary: We didn't learn much about Edward's mother, but Carlisle's little speech New Moon made me curious. What if she was changed, not be Carlisle, but by someone else? What if she went looking for her son, but found Bella instead?
1. Chapter 1

I fell onto the couch with an, "Oomph." I could not believe the day I had just had. The memories floated around in my head as I closed my eyes and willed a glass of water to magically appear in front of me. Memories of my ridiculous idea, of Jacob getting there just in time to save me from a terrible fate faded in and out. I hadn't thought I was stupid enough to jump off a cliff in the middle of a storm. But obviously I was just that stupid.

I then realized I was being selfish. I had just almost killed myself, bringing all the attention to myself instead of where it should be: on Harry.

Poor Charlie. It would be right for me to make something special for dinner, try to console him as much as possible. I had hurt him enough.

I had just gotten up off the couch, trying to figure out what I was going to make, when the door bell rang. I sighed and changed direction, walking to the front door. I opened the door, expecting to see Jacob, or even Charlie having forgotten his key. It was neither of those two, though.

Who it _was_, I had no idea. But just her appearance ripped open the whole in my chest and clawed at the emptiness there. The ghostly pale skin, the strikingly beautiful demeanor. I was vaguely surprised to see the familiar golden irises as I doubled over in pain, gasping. I realized through a haze that the structure of this figure's face was familiar. I knew the shape of those eyes.

The woman stared down at me, frowning at my obvious pain. There was nothing I could do about it, though. This pain would not be stopped. I just had to fake everything. I had been getting good at that lately, but this would be a different story.

I had just stood up again, after realizing that the shock was not going to wear off anytime soon, when the woman's voice stabbed me yet again.

"Are you alright? Can I help you?"

I closed my eyes. I could not bear that melodic wind chime voice right now . . . ever. I finally straightened out, eyes still closed, and answered, not bothering to make my voice even. It shook violently, and cracked at the end.

"I'm fine. Is there something I could help _you_ with?"

Her head cocked to the side, not believing me but realizing that it was none of her business. I took a deep breath waiting for her to answer so I could get to Jacob as fast as possible. I wasn't really sure how I felt about letting this creature leave, though. I knew it would be inevitable, but it wouldn't be easy. Either way, I would be in more pain than I would care to admit to Jacob.

She hesitated. "I'm looking for a Carlisle Cullen," the name ripped through me as it always would. "He's an old friend, and I haven't been in touch with him for a while. I was told to come here, to Forks, and this house looked like a good place to start."

She smiled guiltily, and I grimaced. Someone somewhere was laughing at me. Fate really had it in for me today.

"He's not here," I answered brusquely.

She frowned. "Do you know where he is?"

The knowledge that, in fact, I did not know left me gasping from the pain.

"No," I managed to choke out, and then out of curiosity that I should have squished right then and there, "Who are you?"

She smiled a little and seemed to deliberate for a fraction of a second. Something I would have missed had I not been so attuned to it. She nodded the tiniest bit to herself, deciding on something. What, I couldn't be sure. I didn't even know if she would tell me her real name.

She took a deep breath. "My name is Elizabeth Masen. I'm an old family friend of Carlisle's."

This has been hanging out in my mind for an embarrassingly long amount of time.


	2. Chapter 2

I heard the name wrong. I'm sure I did. There was no way that this woman understood what she was saying. She couldn't be _his_ mother. It wasn't even possible, let alone probable. What were the chances that, even if she was who she said she was, my house would be her first choice? Someone had a really cruel sense of humor.

I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I seem to have heard you wrong. What did you say your name was?" I was trying to be as polite as possible, but there was only so much a girl could be expected to handle before cracking. Of course, there was always a possibility that I had already cracked, and this was just another hallucination. It wouldn't be surprising. She just looked so _real._

"Elizabeth Masen?" She phrased it as a question.

Before I had time to react in any way, though I was still trying to figure _how_ I was going to react, as I wasn't sure that anything had fully sunk in, the phone rang.

I practically ran to the kitchen, leaving my _guest_ in the door looking utterly bewildered.

"Hello?"

"Bella?" It was Jacob, perfect timing as usual. "How are you?"

That sounded like a joke. He couldn't be serious, could he? _I'm dying slowly, Jacob._ "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You don't mind being home alone for a while? Charlie said he was going to be late. He's helping Sue and her kids. He said not to wait up. We're going out to track down a new trail Jared caught this morning. It smells different." A different trail? My stomach dropped. Victoria had a friend.

"Be careful, please," I choked out.

"Relax, Bells. I'll see you later." He hung up on me.

"Um, excuse me?" I jumped. The voice came from behind me. I turned to see her standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Oh, sorry. Is there something else you need?" I knew I sounded rude, but it was the only way I could keep my voice from shaking.

"Carlisle Cullen?"

"I don't know where he went. I'm sorry, but I have no idea where they are." I heard the pain in voice, just as I felt it in my chest.

"They?" she asked, looking very interested. I winced.

"Um, his family." It took all my strength to not say, "My family."

"Children?" she asked. She didn't believe me. I shifted uncomfortably.

"Adopted, obviously," I answered her half-question. "And I did know them. They left, and won't be back for another couple hundred years. If they come back at all. I don't know where they went, and I think that's a good thing." Closure. That is what I had decided. If I _did_ know where they were, it would be that much harder for me to move on. Not that I was doing such a great job of it anyway.

Her eyebrows shot up. She didn't know I knew. _Well, now she does, _I thought.

"Did he have a son named–"

"Yes, but again, I don't know where you will find them. I understand you want to find your son, but I don't know what to tell you."

"How do you know . . . ?"

I opened my mouth and then closed it again. I was about to lose it. "I think you should go now," I whispered. That was probably one of the most painful things I had ever had to say.

"Wait! Do you know my son?" Of course she wanted to know that. What mother wouldn't?

I was still whispering, "I _knew_ him, them. But, like I said, I don't know where they went. I really think you should leave."

"Could you maybe tell me about him? Just so I know what to expect when I find him."

_She_ looked to me imploringly. I caved. It was those damn eyes. "Well, he, um, likes m-music, and wants to be a doctor." That was all she was going to get out of me. I was surprised I wasn't curled up on the ground gasping for breath. It was all could do to keep the tears from escaping.

She could tell that was all I was going to say, and realized it was past her time to go. "Thank you," she said. I could tell she meant it. "I really appreciate it." She started to walk away but turned back and said, "You are exactly the kind of girl I would've wanted for my Edward. I'm sure he would have agreed with me."

And then she was gone. I collapsed. Thankfully, I caught myself on the edge of the sink. I don't know how long I stood there, my head in my hands, crying heart-wrenching sobs.


	3. Chapter 3

_I'm really excited for this chapter. I've got some really nice reviews, so I'm going to try something: I'm going to give previews of the next chapter to anyone who asks for one in a review. Just click the little button(:_

_Okay, now onto the story!_

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**Chapter 3:**

That's how Jacob found me–blubbering into my kitchen sink. He pulled me into his arms without question. And the doorbell rang. Again. Jacob froze.

Uh oh.

His hands clenched into fists . . . that started to shake uncontrollably. He pulled me out the back door and dragged me across the yard. He kept looking around, like he didn't know where he was going. Or he was trying to escape something without being noticed.

And then there was someone in front of us.

My knees collapsed. I was having a really bad day. Jacob caught me before I could hit the ground.

He stood protectively in front of me, still holding me upright.

I watched shock, and then confusion, flit across Alice's beautiful face.

"Bella?"

That was all it took for me to fling myself in front of Jacob and into her arms. She hugged me while I tried to calm myself enough to get a few words out.

"Alice–" sob, "How – what –I've missed you so much."

"Bella . . . who is this? And what the hell is she doing here? What are _you_ doing here?"

That's when I noticed that Alice was not alone. _She _was there, too, standing in front of us, looking between me and Alice like we were a circus act. How was I supposed to explain this one; especially when I could barely see through my wet eyes, anyway?

Alice took out her phone, when _she_ cut in before I could even try to decide what I was going to say.

"My name is Elizabeth Masen. I'm looking for Carlisle Cullen?"

The phone slipped out of Alice's dainty little hands and fell to the ground. I picked it up when nobody moved.

Alice's head was now thrashing from me to _Her_ and back again at 150 miles an hour. It was almost comical. She finally came to rest on me, but something occurred to me before she could say anything.

"Alice, how did you not see this coming?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. And why did I see you jump off a cliff, when you obviously didn't?"

That explains why she was here. My stomach dropped. Now that she was sure I was alive, she had no reason to stay.

"Bella, why didn't you jump?"

"Jacob came and talked some sense into me." He had calmed down, now. Only his hands were shaking. I looked up at him and smiled. I owed him my life many times over.

"Hmm. And I can't see anything now . . ."

"Are you saying you can't _see_ Jacob?" This was interesting.

"So it would seem," Alice murmured, deep in thought. Jacob wrapped his arms around me from behind. This caught her attention, but she shook her head, looking away.

"What d you mean 'you can't see Jacob'?" his mother asked, and then looking at him, "I suppose you are Jacob?"

He nodded stiffly, not looking at her.

I forced the words out, as Alice was obviously not going to answer. "Alice is . . . psychic. She sees the future, but indefinitely. The future will change if you change the path you're on. Alice saw me jump off the cliff, since that was what I planned to do, but she didn't see me decide not to, because Jacob was there, apparently."

I couldn't even look at her straight on, now that I knew why her eyes looked familiar.

"Psychic," she asked, "Well, that's interesting."

"Bella!" Alice shouted. "You're friends with a werewolf!"

I shrunk back, as she looked a little crazy. "Yes. Jake's pack is protecting me from Victoria."

"Victoria?"

"She came back – looking for me. She thinks it's my fault that James is dead."

And then dainty little Alice said a word that sounded _very _wrong coming from her fairy-like mouth.

"Victoria came back? She came back? Looking for you? That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard! Like it's your fault that her murderer of a mate got himself killed! I knew we should never have left! I TOLD him! I told him that you wouldn't be safe by yourself. And now look at you! Friends with the werewolves! Being chased down by random vampires with anger issues! Honestly Bella, only you could have attracted this much attention from all the monsters in the world!"

Yep, Alice was definitely losing her mind. "Alice . . . Just calm down. Everything is going to be okay. Just calm down." Jacob was now standing in front of me, shielding me from Alice's spaz attack.

The pixy reached around Jake's massive frame and grabbed her cell phone out of my hand. And then she had it against her ear. I hadn't even seen her dial.

"Carlisle," His mother (that was her new title) lit up. "We have a problem. I need you to get here as fast as you can. No she's fine. Yeah, but there's someone here that needs to see you," Pause, "Elizabeth Masen. She's here. Well, what do you want me to do?" pause, "I have a feeling she's not leaving for a while. No," pause, "Okay." She shut the phone.

My head was spinning. That exchange had lasted a whole five seconds.

His mother spoke up then, "You do know Carlisle! Is he coming?"

I took a deep breath. "Is this the first you've tried to contact him?"

Alice looked around.

"I spent the first decade trying to perfect my diet. But then it became my fulltime occupation to try and find my son. Is anyone going to tell me where he is?"

Alice spoke up, "We should go inside. It's going to be dark soon, and I wouldn't be surprised if it started to rain."

We were still outside. That hadn't even occurred to me. We all filed in through the back door and into the living room. I took a seat on the couch, Alice sat next to me, and Jacob took the seat next to me. His mother took the recliner.

I changed the subject. I didn't want to have to talk about him. "Is Carlisle coming," I asked Alice.

"He should be here in an hour. I don't know who's coming with him. But it won't be him, Bella."

My stomach clenched. I nodded slowly. I didn't really expect him to come back, but his mother was here. Did he not want to see me that bad?

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_Alice is back!! Yay! I love Alice. Okay, so just push that little button, and don't forget to ASK for a preview(: Hope you liked it!_


	4. Chapter 4

_There was some confusion about the preview. If you asked and didn't get one, I'm sorry. That just means I couldn't access your profile or reply to your review. I wasn't trying to exclude anyone):_

_Although, now it doesn't matter, because the full chapter is up! It's kinda short…just leading up to the next one. (:_

I don't know how we did it. Somehow, Alice and I managed to keep the subject away from E-Edward. Just when there was about to be a conversation lull, someone would ask an irrevelent question, and someone else would make up a really long and detailed answer. But a couple times we managed to get some information out of her without being forced to change the subject quickly.

For instance, I learned that she was changed by a man that had seen and done just about everything. Apparently, he had been visiting a patient the same day that she had "died", except she hadn't died. They had wheeled her off into the morgue, never realizing that her heart was still beating. She was changed there, and taken to Pennsylvania before she could ask about her son.

"What happened to the man," I had asked. She had said that he had gone to Michigan in the 1940s, where he worked in an asylum. She hadn't heard from him since.

"Alice!" I had shouted. "It's the same person!"

"We don't know that for sure, Bella. There were many asylums in Michigan at the time."

"Yeah, but how many had good vampires working in them?" I had her there. That was not common. It was definitely the same man that had changed Alice to save her from James. The same one that had given up his life for her.

So now we knew how and why His Mother came to be here, and it wouldn't matter soon, anyway, because Carlisle would be here soon. My stomach clenched. Carlisle would be here soon. Who knows _who _would be with him.

We had also asked about her previous pursuits, and why it took her so long to finally find him. All she had said to that was "I've looked all over the world. Alaska was the first real information I had gotten in years. Decades. Of course, I was always afraid he wouldn't remember me, or worse, he wouldn't want anything to do with me."

But then she had felt inclined to ask how I had known him, and all I said was, "He was in my science class." Alice didn't add anything to that, for which I was grateful. We changed the subject fairly quickly after that, never dwindling on anything that might cause me to double over in pain. Alice knew me so well.

So there we sat, me on the couch next to Alice, Jacob squeezing into the little space on the other side of me with his arms wrapped around my waist, and His Mother on the recliner. My eyelids drooped as I remembered just how late it was. I was starting to worry about Charlie.

As if hearing my thoughts, Alice murmured, "Charlie won't be coming home till a little after seven in the morning. He'll fall asleep on some lady's couch."

I took 'some lady' to mean Sue Clearwater. It seemed strange to me that Alice wouldn't know something, but, then again, Sue lived on the reservation. Alice had never been past the border.

That's when I heard them. The snores. Jacob had finally fallen asleep. I giggled as the sound of his monstrous nasal blockage filled the room. He was just so _loud. _ Alice rolled her eyes. I was definitely losing it, and Carlisle hadn't even gotten here.

I started to panic again. How would I ever be able to deal with that amount of pain again? I was just going back to the beginning. Full circle. At least this time I had Jacob. But if I was being honest with myself, he wouldn't be any much help this time. It was just too much. Their family was complete now, and I was not a part of it.

I curled into myself and leaned into his sleeping form. This was going to be a long night.

_This was a short chapter, I know, but it seemed like the perfect place to end. _

_Bet I got you all on the "that's when I heard them" part. Giggle. _

_Next chapter is the Cullens! I might switch up the POV, just for something interesting. Think it's a good idea?_

_Anyway, review for a preview(: _


	5. Chapter 5

_I am so sorry it took me to update. I was completely hung up on what I had been reading, but it's over(sniff sniff), so here I am again! Thank you for your patience!_

_Okay, so I did this chapter in all different points of view. Something just told me it was the right thing to do. Thank you to all of you beautiful people that have reviewed. It's what makes me want to write(or publish what I write, anyway) (;_

_Review for a preview!_

**Bella's POV:**

The doorbell rang. I was really getting sick of that sound. It was a bad sign.

Both Alice's and Jacob's head snapped up at the same time. I sighed and got up off the couch. This was going to hurt, but it would hurt more if they left.

Just as I took my first step away from the couch, the front door was thrown open, and in ran (a human run) none other . . . than Emmett.

"Bella!" He actually looked genuinely happy to see me. He skidded to a halt two feet away from me as the rest of the crowd followed him into the room.

"Emmett, please," Esme sighed.

I fell back onto the couch blinking back the tears.

"Jeez, Bella. You look like Hell." Emmett ignored his mother's chastise.

"Emmett!" Esme again.

I looked up at him, and, surprisingly enough, I almost smiled.

"Yeah, well, I haven't been sleeping very well . . ."

**Esme's POV**

I was appalled at my son. I could not believe he would be so insensitive. For all we knew, she could hate us. It wouldn't be surprising for what we did to her. She put on a brave face, though, just like the old Bella. Only when she looked around and saw the missing family member did we see the quick look of disappointment on her face. It was brief; a human would have missed it.

She did look awful, and I felt so terrible about what we must have caused her. I enveloped her in a hug, before I had time to think about why I mustn't.

"Bella, it's wonderful to see you again." I tried to sound as heartfelt as I could, as I really did mean it, but I knew she wouldn't believe me.

"Hello, Esme," she said, hugging me back. It sounded awkward, but not insincere. And then she gently removed herself from my embrace, looking around again.

Bella went back to the couch, sitting in between Alice and some boy. I sighed to myself, looking down. It was none of my business, but Edward would be in even worse shape if he knew about it. I would have to make sure nobody told him about it.

**Carlisle's POV:**

I stood behind Esme and Jasper, with Rosalie slouching after me. I had truly missed this place, and Bella. But I had more pressing matters at hand. I looked around, trying not to be rude by not greeting Bella as enthusiastically as the others.

It didn't take me long to locate her. Elizabeth Masen was sitting in Charlie's recliner, with an awed look on her face. It was a look I had seen before.

I walked slowly over to her, not really believing what I was seeing.

"Elizabeth Masen. I can't believe it. I just do't believe it. One minute you were on your death bed, making your last request, and the next minute you were gone. Dr. Holmanns told me he had taken you to the morgue. I figured that was it. I never dreamed I would ever see you again." All this came out in a murmur I hardly realized I was producing.

"Dr. Cullen . . . _Dr. Cullen._ You look exactly the same."

On the contrary, she looked extraordinarily different. But her eyes were a bright gold. I smiled. I had always known she was good at heart.

I was shaken out of my thoughts as I realized that the young man sitting next to Bella on the couch was vibrating. He was shaking uncontrollably. It was that moment that I realized he was . . . different. I recognized his smell. He was Quileute.

"Jake," murmured Bella from beside him, "Jacob, it's okay. Go outside, get some fresh air. I'll be alright. Trust me."

He just shook his head. So this was Jacob. Ephraim's great-grandson. It's funny, but they actually looked alike.

I could tell he wasn't going t budge, and Bella would get hurt if he didn't calm down.

"Jacob, I swear to you we won't lay a hand on her. But you're going to hurt her if you can't calm down." I could tell he didn't want to listen to me, and so could Jasper.

Jacob gradually stopped shaking, and Bella glanced at my youngest son, a look of gratitude on her face. Jacob froze and looked at Bella in horror.

"Maybe you should go help Billy out. He might need some moral support after what happened. Plus, I'm sure Sam would be interested in what's going on. I'm fine, really Jake. Just don't let Paul come blow up my house." She seemed to be teasing him with her last sentence, but it was half-hearted.

But he stayed firm. "I'm not leaving. I'm fine now, but I know that you aren't. Don't even bother." He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she fidgeted but didn't remove them. Ah.

Bella sighed and looked at Jasper for help. He nodded, moving toward Alice, but keeping his distance from the boy.

**Bella's POV:**

I knew he was going to be difficult. I knew he should've left before hand, but I couldn't make him go. Because, eventually, they were going to leave, too, and then I would be all alone. At least Jasper was going to keep him in check.

I sighed. He hadn't come. I didn't really know what to expect, but it his _mother._ You'd think he would come, just for that. He could've left quickly. He hadn't needed to stay.

Unless he didn't know. But the only way that was possible was if he wasn't staying with Carlisle and Esme. I couldn't think of any reason for him to leave them, though. Unless . . . He was living with someone else. My stomach clenched. I was going to be sick.

"Excuse me," I muttered, running upstairs and slamming the bathroom door behind me. And then I remembered they could hear me. I just leaned on the rim of the sink, trying to keep the tears at bay. I knew it was bound to happen. I wasn't stupid enough to think I was the only one who would capture his attention.

There was a knock on the door. "Bella?" Jacob's voice called me. Of course he would be worried about me. "Can I come in?" I sighed ad opened the door.

"I'm fine, really. Sorry about that," I murmured. He didn't believe me.

I led the way back downstairs taking hold of his hand. They looked up at me as we reentered. I blushed and sat back down glancing at Alice. I felt a little betrayed. She should've told me he had a girlfriend.

Just the thought made me wrap my arms around my chest and look away. So maybe it was a good thing she hadn't told me. Because this was painful. But if he was happy, then I should be happy for him. I was just finding it very difficult to be happy about anything at this point.

**Alice's POV:**

Poor Bella. This was hard on her. I was surprised when she didn't throw up in the bathroom. She had had a long day. Her drooping eyelids were proof enough of that.

Jasper threw an arm around my shoulders. He was perched on the arm of the couch staring at Jacob, who was glancing around nervously.

Esme, Rose, and Emmett had both taken chairs out of the kitchen and brought them into the living room to sit across from the couch. Esme was watching Carlisle and Elizabeth talk, staring at her husband but obviously thinking about Edward.

Rose was glaring at the wall, thinking of herself, as usual. Emmett had his arms wrapped around her, but was glancing back between Carlisle and Elizabeth, and Bella.

And then Jacob stood up, pulling Bella up with him. He tugged her by the hand to the front door. When they got outside, he pulled her into a hug, unraveling her arms from around her torso. Bella wrapped as much of her arms as would reach around his frame, clinging to him. She suddenly froze. He felt her tension and pulled her back effortlessly to look into her face. She smiled stiffly, looking down, and stepped out of his arms completely. He looked confused for a moment before getting over it and bending is face slowly down. I didn't need my special ability to see that he was going to kiss her.

Everyone was now watching through the window, frozen. If she let him kiss her, it would mean the end of Edward. Not that any of us would tell him.

She spoke up when their faces were an inch-and-a-half apart.

"It won't be long, I promise," she whispered, "Just don't let Paul come, _please._ I don't know if I could handle that." What did she mean, it won't be long? Who was Paul?

He chuckled, pulling back. "He won't come, trust me. Sam would never allow that. Just promise me you'll be safe. Call me if you need me. We'll be out there as soon as things get back to normal. In the mean time, Sam has a new strategy for us, but it will probably be affected by your . . . _guests._" I could hear obvious disgust in his tone, and I'm sure Bella could also. "I'll see you later, Bella."

He kissed her forehead, sighed, and ran down the driveway and out of view. We all stared through the window at Bella, who was now leaning up against the wall outside with her arms wrapped around her chest. Why was she always doing that? All of a sudden, a look of intense pain flit across her face. I stood up automatically, wondering what I could do to help, but it was gone as quick as it had come, and she sighed, shaking her head.

By the time she came back inside, we had all resumed our previous places, all except for me. I stared at her in concern.

And the next thing I knew, I was falling over into Jasper who caught me and pulled me back onto the couch.

_He is walking determinedly towards the tower. They had to grant him this one wish. He was Carlisle's son. He walks up to Aro, and explains how he had fallen for a human whose scent tortured him every second of every day. He had left her, trying to keep her safe from what he was. And now she was dead, jumped off a cliff. He asks them to put him out of his misery, extinguish his life._

I gasped, "Bella!" I grabbed her arm and looked into her eyes. If I could cry, I would have. "Edward!"

Everyone stood up, looking at me with concern. Bella stayed seated, but swayed nonetheless, her eyes going foggy, face blank.

"What is it Alice," Carlisle asked.

"I – I don't – he knows. Who told him? How did he find out about her?" I was literally gasping for air, despite the fact that I didn't need any.

"Alice, it's okay if he knows about her. She's his mother, after all." There was a small amount of pain in Esme's voice, but she hid it well. Elizabeth wouldn't have noticed.

"No, not _her._ Bella. Someone told him she jumped, and he thinks she's dead." I was rambling. I was surprised when Bella understood.

"Okay . . ." she said slowly, obviously calmer than before, "So we go find him and sort it out. What's the problem?"

I shook my head at her, and all I could get out was, "He's gone to Italy."

She jumped up immediately and ran to her room without a pause. We heard her rummaging through her drawers, muttering incoherently to herself.

Everyone else looked at me, obviously not understanding the situation. I couldn't say it. I just couldn't. Bella came running down the stairs two t a time.

"Alice, I don't have enough for the whole flight. I –"

"Bella, think about what you're doing. You have to realize how dangerous this is. Think it through." I couldn't believe she knew exactly what was going on. It didn't take her two seconds to figure it out. Amazing.

"Alice, would you think it through? I know exactly how dangerous it is, but I can't just _sit here_. If anything were to happen, especially because of me. I couldn't. . ." She trailed off.

"Bella," I whispered, "Please, you do realize it might not be around trip? We might not make it back."

She bit her lip, but looked even more determined than before. Everyone else just looked around uncomprehendingly.

"You would come with me?"

"Of course, I'm not going to let you go alone, Bella! But we may be too late."

She was shaking her head. "We can't be too late, Alice," she whispered, "We have to _go."_

I took a deep breath. I couldn't believe she was doing this. But, then again, it was Bella. This should be expected of her. She's just like; protecting her mate in any way she can. And this is one thing that only she could do. If there was any chance of saving my brother, she would be it.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Here it is!!! It's kinda short, but I love cliffhangers!! This one only changes POV once. I liked how that had worked before, but I thought that this would be best from Bell's viewpoint. Tell me what you think!**_

_**By the way, I borrowed a paragraph from Stephanie, but it was all hers anyway. I'm just playing with her toys for a little while. (:**_

_**Review for a preview!**_

**Alice's POV:**

_He is walking determinedly towards the tower. They had to grant him this one wish. He was Carlisle's son, after all. He walks up to Aro, and explains how he had fallen for a human whose scent tortured him every second of every day. He had left her, trying to keep her safe from what he was. And now she was dead, jumped off a cliff. He asks them to put him out of his misery, "extinguish his life."_

I gasped, "Bella!" I grabbed her arm and looked into her eyes. If I could cry, I would have. "Edward!"

Everyone stood up, looking at me with concern. Bella stayed seated, but swayed nonetheless, her eyes going foggy, face blank.

"What is it Alice," Carlisle asked.

"I – I don't – he knows. Who told him? How did he find out about her?" I was literally gasping for air, despite the fact that I didn't need any.

"Alice, it's okay if he knows about her. She's his mother, after all." There was a small amount of pain in Esme's voice, but she hid it well. Elizabeth wouldn't have noticed.

"No, not her. Bella. Someone told him she jumped, and he thinks she's dead." I was rambling. I was surprised when Bella understood.

"Okay . . ." she said slowly, obviously calmer than before, "So we go find him and sort it out. What's the problem?"

I shook my head at her, and all I could get out was, "He's gone to Italy."

She jumped up immediately and ran to her room without a pause. We heard her rummaging through her drawers, muttering incoherently to herself.

Everyone else looked at me, obviously not understanding the situation. I couldn't say it. I just couldn't. Bella came running down the stairs two t a time.

"Alice, I don't have enough for the whole flight. I –"

"Bella, think about what you're doing. You have to realize how dangerous this is. Think it through." I couldn't believe she knew exactly what was going on. It didn't take her two seconds to figure it out. Amazing.

"Alice, would you think it through? I know exactly how dangerous it is, but I can't just sit here. If anything were to happen, especially because of me. I couldn't. . ." She trailed off.

"Bella," I whispered, "Please, you do realize it might not be around trip? We might not make it back."

She bit her lip, but looked even more determined than before. Everyone else just looked around uncomprehendingly.

"You would come with me?"

"Of course, I'm not going to let you go alone, Bella! But we may be too late."

She was shaking her head. "We can't be too late, Alice," she whispered, "We have to go."

I took a deep breath. I couldn't believe she was doing this. But, then again, it was Bella. This should be expected of her. She's just like; protecting her mate in any way she can. And this is one thing that only she could do. If there was any chance of saving my brother, she would be it.

**Bella's POV:**

I would die. That idiot was being just like I remembered him. Overprotective. Penitent. Guilty. The list goes on.

But this was taking it a step too far. It's not like I didn't remember his 'resolution' should anything happen to me. But I figured it didn't apply anymore, what with him not loving me anymore. I winced at that.

_I wasn't going to live without you. But I wasn't sure how to do it. So I was thinking I would go to Italy and do something to provoke the Volturi. _

I shook my head as I grabbed my backpack and started stuffing some necessities into it.

_This is so stupid. It wasn't healthy to let this kind of guilt run his life. Just because he hadn't been there to save a 'fragile human', doesn't mean he should go kill himself, _ I thought as I grabbed the sock with my savings out of my underwear drawer and an down the stairs.

I almost got to the bottom when I bumped into Alice.

"Bella, what do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

I grimaced. I hadn't thought she would fight me on it, but, now that I thought about it, it did sound like something she would do. I sighed.

"I'm going to Italy, Alice. What does it look like I'm doing?" I knew she already knew 'what I was doing', but I had to answer her anyway.

"Oh no, you're not, Isabella Swan!" she shrieked. I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. I am. That's not even the question. But I might need to borrow a couple hundred. I don't have enough for the whole ticket."

I almost felt guilty about asking her for money. Almost. But she was acting like a crazy person, and if Alice didn't want to save her brother, than I would. Without a doubt. Because I was _not_ living in a world where the bane of my existence was not alive.

She squared her little shoulders as I tried to push past her. She had me trapped on the stairs.

"Bella, there is no way you are going to Italy by yourself. You don't even know where he is or what to expect. They will _kill_ you, Bella. I need you to realize this."

I sighed. Of course I had realized that, but was already partially dead, and if I was too late to save Edward, then I would let them kill me. I wouldn't be able to live with that kind of pain anyway.

"Alice, we are wasting time. I am trying to help your brother. I know the danger I am putting myself in, but, let's face it. I've already had my death sentence. The only questions are where and when. And frankly, I would much let a group of professional, sophisticated vampires kill me, rather than be tortured to death be a vengeful psycho. Because I've been in that situation, and it wasn't fun the first time. I don't want to repeat that episode." I finished my speech and finally succeeded in pushing past my sister-for-all-intents-and-purposes.

Her mouth was hanging open. I looked over my shoulder at her as the rest of the Cullens were staring, wide-eyed and speechless. I held my head high.

"I don't expect you to accompany me, Alice, but, like I said, I don't have enough at the moment, and this really can't wait."

"Bella . . . there is no way I would let you go alone, but I will _not_ let you get hurt. If we're too late, I _will_ get out of there, and _will_ keep you alive and away from Victoria." She said through clenched teeth.

Jasper stood up abruptly, almost knocking over my coffee table. "Wait a minute. What's going on? Is there something wrong with Edward?"

His Mother stood up then, too, looking concerned. "What's wrong with my Edward? Why is he in Italy?"

I took a deep breath, turning to Alice again. "On second thought, I think it would be much faster if I took your car, while you stayed here to explain. It would do no good for the whole family to come along. That would only slow us down and put us in more danger. They will definitely be intimidate by Emmett, and from what I have heard, the Volturi aren't' the kind of people that like to be intimidated. Besides, he needs to see me. That's the only way to convince him that I'm alive, and then everything will be back to normal, and you all can go back to your happy little family."

My stomach dropped and I distinctly felt my heart tear in two. But that didn't matter now. What mattered was Edward's life, and I was slowly losing it the more time I spent standing here.

"Bella," Alice whispered, "I am not leaving you to defend yourself against the Volturi. But you're right, you are the only person that can do this, and it would more harm than good if we all went." She turned to everyone, explaining, "Edward thinks Bella is dead. He has decided that he can't live with that and has turned to the Volturi to . . ." she trailed off, so I picked up for her.

"He's going to ask them to–" I took a deep breath, "k-ki . . . get rid of him." I winced as I said it.

They all gasped. Elizabeth looked like she was about to faint, Esme broke down into helpless, dry sobs, and Rosalie stood up looking outraged.

"This is all your fault!" She screamed at me. "He wouldn't be in any danger if you hadn't been so stupid! And now my brother thinks he has to play Romeo for you!" She broke down into Emmett's arms.

I didn't move. Didn't say anything. She was right. This was all my fault. My voice faltered and cracked as I answered her, "I know, but I'm going to fix it." It came out as a whisper.

Alice growled. "If I remember correctly, _Rosalie_, Bella didn't even jump off the cliff, but, Bella didn't even jump off the cliff, but _you _were the one that told him she was dead. We would never be in this position if you had just stuck to the agreement and not _told him!_"

Jasper stood up then, giving Rosalie n chance to retort. He wrapped his arms around Alice's tiny waist, and I looked away.

I didn't hear what he had whispered, but it did hear Alice's reply. "I promise, Jazz. I'll be fine. But we need to do this alone. Shh, I know what I'm doing, and I'll do only that. We will come home."

He didn't say anything else, but then Alice was dragging me by the hand towards the door. I let her.

We ran out to the car and hopped inside. I couldn't believe this was actually happening. He had actually gone through with his plans, leaving me with no choice but to chase after him. I had told myself time and time again that I would not go looking for him, but this was his life we were talking about.

Alice gunned the engine and floored it. I sat back, closing my eyes. I had forgotten how much I loved this car. We were in Carlisle's Mercedes.

I suddenly thought of something. "Alice, can I use your phone?"

It had only been a couple of minutes, but we were already on the highway leading to Seattle.

She looked at curiously. "Sure, Bella." she answered, handing me the phone.

I called Jacob. It rang and rang, but nobody answered. Good. I had been planning on that. It finally took me the answering machine.

"Jake, it's Bella. Please take care of Charlie for me."

I closed the phone and handed it back to Alice with a sigh.

She rolled her eyes reproachfully. "Bella, you know they would've watched out for him. None of them would let anything happen to Charlie." I knew that of course, but Jacob would've been mad if he had found out that I had left the care of my father in the hands of the Cullens. Nope, he would not like that idea at all.

"Alice? He won't know they're there, right?" Charlie would be the next one to have a heart attack if he found all the Cullens plus one sitting his living room when he got home.

"He'll never know a thing, Bella. As long as that's what you think is best." I nodded.

And then we were at the airport. I shook my head at the speed at which we had traveled but decided not to over-think it.

I had a job to do and would not fail.

_**Don't you just love cliffhangers?! **____**I'll update soon, but I'll give a preview to anyone who asks in the form of a review!**____**(lol)**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**(: So, this one is not going to change POVs at all, but it will be from Alice's viewpoint. Tell me what you think!**_

_**Also, this will be another short one, because it's only leading up to the next chapter (: Sorry, but I'll update soon!**_

**Alice's POV:**

I glanced over at Bella. Again. How could she be sleeping with this hanging over her head? Okay, s hadn't meant to tell her that this was all on her, even though it was. But still, she didn't need that kind of stress on top of everything else.

I looked around, bouncing in my seat. You would think that, for someone like me, twenty minutes would be nothing. But those twenty minutes had killed me. They were still killing me.

Now that I thought about it, everyone on board was asleep except for myself, a woman not much older than Bella holding her whimpering baby, and a business man sitting behind me and Bella, typing furiously onto the keyboard of his laptop.

I sighed and laid my head on the back of the seat.

"_Such a waste, Edward. Such a waste. Why would I get rid of you when I could easily use you for my own advantage? I must confess, though, I wish I could have met this Bella of yours. She sounds . . . interesting, in the least." Aro shakes his head. He wasn't going to do it._

I sighed. I kept reliving this 'vision' over and over again. I had seen past it with different flickers of what Edward was deciding.

I was extremely grateful to Bella for, unintentionally and ignorantly, making his decision to not go hunting. Ever since he had realized he loved her, which was some time after I had pointed it out to him, he had tried to do everything possible to deserve her. I knew, in his eyes, he still didn't, and never would, but it was that unwavering need for Bella that had talked him out of hunting in Volterra. He wouldn't fail her again, even if she was gone.

But the whole point of this excursion was to prove to him that she wasn't gone.

So now he had decided to keep it simple. My brother was just going to walk out into the sunlight. There would be big crowds gathered around the bell tower, so that was his designated place of suicide. But there was one upside to this plan of his. It gave us more time.

I closed my eyes again, watching nothing. He had made up his mind, and I had made up mine. I wish I hadn't lied to Jasper, but I had to save my brother, something he understood easily. What he didn't understand was that I also had to save my sister. Bella needed protection whether she admitted it or not. I wasn't going to let her down, even if she didn't blame me for letting her die, which I knew she wouldn't. But I would blame myself. That was, of course, the sole reason for my checking up on her after the cliff catastrophe. How could I live with myself if she had died and I had sat back and watched, doing nothing?

* * *

My lips almost pulled up into a smile as I felt the engine purring under me. I sighed. I could get used to this.

Bella's lower jaw dropped when I came around the corner and stopped right in front of her. I called for her to hurry. We were running out of time.

"Sheesh, Alice," she whined as she climbed into the front seat. "Could you have picked a more conspicuous car to steal?"

I didn't feel compelled to answer that. She was insulting this beautiful vehicle.

We were already speeding down the street, something I was glad she didn't complain about, when she asked about the roadblock.

I sighed. "Bella, you are talking to the master. There will be no roadblock _in front of us._ But, if you are worried about the people behind us, oh girl of little faith, then that is very sweet of you. But we have more pressing matters to attend to at the moment."

She didn't say anything as I picked up speed and zoomed onto the freeway.

_**There it is!! Kind of short, I know, but more is coming! I'm thinking maybe they won't get there in time? JK, I would never do that to you lovely readers.**_

_**Next chapter it starts getting good :D Edward is coming soon!! I'm actually excited, too! There is actually lots of suspense too...You'll just have to wait and see. **_

_**I actually have the next two chapters written, but I don't want to post them until I'm sure everyone wants me to keep going. I'm working on chapter 10 now, but I think I'm almost done with the whole story*gasp*!**_

_**Anyway, hope you liked it! Review for a preview. But don't forget to ask!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Author's Note:**__** I'm warning you right now, this is short. Really short. But it will be worth it (: the next chapter is what you've all been waiting for. Bella/Edward fluff. Yay! You just have to get through this one first, though. Give it a try!**_

_**By the way: I would like to thank all of the wonderful people who have reviewed my story. You are what keeps me writing! Keep it up! :D**_

_**Alright, here you go:**_

**Bella's POV:**

"Alice," I murmured sleepily. "Alice, why are we stopping?" I yawned.

She sighed. "Apparently, there is a line to get into the city today." And so there was. A very long line. I couldn't see the front. "We'll just have to go around them."

And with that, Alice drove right out of line and _around_ all of the cars until she could get back _into_ the line. We were only behind one other car, now. I suddenly wasn't tired anymore. This was it.

Alice turned to me. "Bella, listen to me," she said quietly. "He can't see me because he'll only work that much faster. He'll be under the clock tower, you can't miss it. All he is planning to do is walk out into the sunlight. You have to be there before he steps into the sun. He has to see you. He'll walk out from under the tower at noon sharp. I'm going to dump the car somewhere, but I'll be right there as soon as you find him, and then we can get out of here. Got it?"

I nodded. It was a lot to take in. I glanced at the clock. 11:49. Crap.

Alice pulled up to the gate, and I jumped out.

"Hurry, Bella!" I heard Alice call, but I was already running. I just had to not fall down. For now, though, my clumsiness seemed to have left me. Good.

I still couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that he was actually going to walk into the sunlight. It was easy, but efficient. The Volturi would never let him live after exposing them like that.

I turned the corner, pushing the giant crowds of people out of my way.

I was glad he hadn't gone hunting as Alice had told me he had considered. But of course he didn't. Edward wouldn't want to disappoint Carlisle. Not like this.

I turned another corner and finally spotted the tower. I could faintly see the shadow of a figure hunched over, facing the inside of the large 'chamber' under the giant tower.

I was full out sprinting now. I was so close.

The clock tower started chiming, just as the figure came into view. My heart lurched when I saw him, but this was no time to be sappy. I would have to save it for later.

_Dong. _My side ached, but I was so close. Edward took a step away from the safety of his shadows.

_Dong. _ Another step. I increased my speed, if that were even possible.

_Dong. _ He was the only person in the world that I would run like this for. I realized with a sinking feeling as I took my last few steps towards him that he would always be it. There was no going back, and no moving forward. He would always be it, whether he wanted to be or not.

And then I was there. I slammed into him without really remembering how to stop. I would've fallen over if his strong arms hadn't wrapped around me.

"Bella?" My stomach dropped.

"Edward, you have to move!" He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that I was pushing against his chest, trying to get him to move away from the oncoming sun. "Please!"

"That's amazing. Carlisle was right. hmm."

He stroked my face with the back of his hand while I pointlessly shoved all of my weight into him, trying futilely to get him to move. He wouldn't budge. He didn't even seem to realize I was exerting all of my strength.

He sighed.

_**Author's Note**__**: :D I'm mean, I know. I'm sorry. But, I loved the way Ms. Stephanie wrote the next few parts, and I didn't want to change them. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.**_

_**I'm just going to skip the next parts, because they would've gone exactly the same as in the Book. I figured it was pointless to rewrite all of that when I thought it was perfect to begin with. Not that the whole book wasn't perfect, because it was (:**_

_**So for the next chapter (which might take a while because I'm going on vacation, plus it will be a really difficult one to write) I'm going to start in Bella's bedroom after she wakes up. Edward will be there for all of you impatient people who have been asking about him since the first chapter. :D**_

_**Tell me what you think about this one and what you would like to see in the next one. I apologize ahead of time if you don't like the next chapter. I'm not good at sap, but I'll do my best.**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Alright! Just a few things to keep in mind as you read:**_

_**1) I skipped all of the Volturi scenes, but everything happened the same way. They almost got killed, Alice promised that Bella would be changed, yadda, yadda.**_

_**2) Edward really does love Bella! Don't forget, because that is crucial!!**_

_**3) Edward doesn't know about Elizabeth. He hasn't spent a moment away from Bella yet, and nobody has had the heart to tell him. To smooth away confusion, Carlisle had suggested to Elizabeth that it would be best if she stayed home while the rest of the family picked up the trio at the airport. Elizabeth stayed at the Cullen's house, so she is NOT at Bella's place at the moment.**_

_**I think that's it. I figured I'd give you a long one. Enjoy :D**_

**Bella's POV:**

I couldn't believe that my imagination would come up with something like that. Especially considering the dreams I usually had. It just didn't make any sense.

And then I opened my eyes, remembering details.

I sat up and, at the sight that met my eyes, sunk back down again.

"Bella? I didn't mean to wake you."

_What_ was he doing here? I sighed and sat up again.

"You didn't wake me up. I woke myself up. Don't worry about it."

I internally smacked myself on the forehead. Of course he wouldn't worry about it. Why would he worry about waking me up? Didn't he have bigger problems?

Edward took a deep breath. "Bella, I know I don't deserve to be here, especially since I'm breaking the rules, but I just had to explain?" It came out in a rush, and I just had time to realize he had asked me a question.

I glanced at the clock. 5:27. so I had been asleep for –

"Fourteen hours. You've been asleep for fourteen hours." I winced. Even when I couldn't read my mind, he still knew what I was thinking. I had missed that.

"What do you mean, 'you're breaking the rules'?" I didn't want to hear what he had to say. I already knew why he had left, and I didn't need to anything else, especially if it involved a tall, blonde, inhumanly beautiful immortal. That was the conclusion I had come to. She was everything I wasn't, and never would be.

"Well, Charlie didn't want me to 'ever step foot in his house ever again'."

I sighed. I was going to have to talk to him.

"So, then, what are you still doing here?" I tried not to make it sound rude, but I was honestly curious. Something obviously possessed him to come here. I had no idea how long he had been here, but it couldn't have been long. I mean, he had just met his mother whom he hadn't seen in almost a hundred years. Oh my god.

He hadn't met her.

"Do you want me to leave?" He sounded hurt and he made no move to get up, for which I was grateful.

"No!" Practically shouted. We both froze as we heard Charlie's snores sputter and resume. I let out a huge breath and Edward relaxed. I hadn't realized how tense he had been just moments before.

We sat I silence, he staring at me, and I trying not to stare back. It was difficult, but I succeeded.

"Will you hear me out if I explain, Bella?" His voice was soft and he came over to kneel beside the bed. "Please, just let me explain."

I took a deep breath. "Go ahead." I gestured in front of me with my hands, telling him to proceed. I realized with a start that I had to proceed too, if I had any chance of hearing, and comprehending, what he was saying. Proceed with caution.

He sighed, and then he was talking very fast, like I remembered him doing whenever he was agitated. Something must really be bothering him. "Bella, these last few months have been terrible. Awful. Horrible. Completely excruciating. I have been living for more than one hundred years, and those past seven months and a half were the _longest_ in my entire life. Of course, I had always realized essential you were to my survival, but I didn't know that just being away from you for even a month would be so . . . undeniably painful. Please understand that if I hurt you, I have hurt myself a thousand times over." He took a deep breath. My head was spinning.

He gauged my reaction and sighed. And then he was sitting beside me on the bed, holding my face in his hands.

"Bella," he breathed, "Before I met you, my life was like a never ending race. There was no finish line, no chief goal, but there were other, smaller matters. I could still overtake people. I was, after all, the fastest runner," he laughed, but there was no evident humor in his voice. His eyes were black stones. "And then you came along and brought with you the greatest prize any runner could ever hope to win. But then you were gone, and I couldn't run anymore. There were no more races, no more competitions. I was completely alone, in the dark, without my prize. I couldn't even see my track anymore. The whole point of racing had left." He finished his speech with his head down.

I swallowed. This didn't make any sense.

"Edward," I realized I was whispering. I touched his hair softly, and pulled back at the familiar feel of his beautiful locks. "Edward, I don't . . . I don't understand."

He looked up at me then, his eyes imploring. They were completely melted. Liquid Onyx. Wanting what? That I would say 'I forgive you', so he could leave, guilt free?

"Bella," his voice was stronger now, "Bella, I need you in my life. I have to have you with me always. I love you, and that is something that has and will never change."

I blinked. Where had that come from? He was stealing my lines.

"It was only a matter of time before I came back," he speculated, completely changing the topic of our, previous, deep discussion. "I wasn't going to make it another month. I was already past trying to live through the week. It was now a fight for the hour. I am completely serious when I say that I usually curled up into a ball and let the anguish overtake me."

I stared at him. Was he _mocking _me? He _looked _serious. H looked deadly serious. Like his life depended on his telling me this. According to him, it did.

"I . . . just . . . want-need- time t process this. I still don't understand why you're saying these things, but I've never seen you so serious before." And I hadn't. Which was saying something.

He nodded fervently. And then I thought of something. "What about the Volturi? I have to be changed. They'll kill me." Not to mention Victoria, who already had me on her death list. I shook my head.

He sighed. "I have a few plans, but, Bella, I will never let anyone hurt you, ever again. That includes myself. I couldn't bear to see you hurt, even a fraction of I had felt. The Volturi aren't going to hurt you. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't even think of you again until you were thirty."

Thirty. That is exactly why I hadn't let myself hope. I shook my head as I felt tears prick my eyes. Damn. My last set had just dried. Come to think of it, I hadn't even realized I _had _been crying in the first place.

"Bella?" He sounded so confused. I would be too, if I had to deal with me all night. All night. Tonight-this morning- was all I had. Then he would leave. I felt a sinking feeling right where my heart would have been if I hadn't already given it to Edward in Italy. That was really the turning point for me. I had always wanted us to be equal in that sense, and, now that we were, it just made me love him more. It wasn't fair.

"Bella, what's wrong? By the time you cross their minds again, we'll have had plenty of time to have a plan."

"What do you 'we'? You aren't planning to stay."

"What? How can you even think that? I just told you how I couldn't live without you! Bella." My name come out as a whine; a low moan that escaped his lips. My heart sped up. My stomach dropped.

"But you said thirty." I whispered. "So you're planning to stay, but keep me human? Right, how fair is that?"

I couldn't really care about fair, I just didn't want to get old while he didn't. If my eighteenth birthday was bad, what would my twentieth be like? And thirty? That was below the belt.

His eyed turned hard again. "Of course, Bella. We've already had this discussion, if I recall correctly. I'm not changing you, but I'm not leaving, either. I don't care how old you get, Bella. You'll always be the most beautiful, perfect woman. It doesn't matter how look. As long you're here, with me."

He had completely melted again. I knew the feeling. I knew I was treading dangerous waters, but I was putty in his hands.

I sighed and pushed off the bed. If I was going to trust him, I would have to get something out of it, too.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going to your house. This isn't just about you, you know. The world does not revolve around you. Other people should have a say in your family matters." Just as I started o hunt around in the dark for my shoes, a hord of people came crashing into the room, through the window, of course.

"Of course we want you to become one of us, Bells! How cool would that be? Edward would stop moping and we hang out even more!" This came from Emmett, who was shouting. He wrapped me in a tight hug and I froze.

Charlie's snores had stopped. The whole room was still, every one of his family members, save his mother, all looking at Edward for a report.

He whispered the answer to our question, "He's getting up. We'd better leave." My jaw dropped. They couldn't leave!

They all hugged me quickly, whispering things like, "Welcome to the family, Bella." Rosalie just stood against the back wall, never taking her eyes off of me, but never moving. She didn't glare.

I turned to Edward after they had all left. Our goodbyes had lasted almost four seconds.

He took a step closer to me. "I won't be far." He whispered. Edward kissed my forehead and was gone. I hadn't missed the look of intense pain on his face. So he would come back.

I nodded to myself, taking a deep breath and turning for the door just as it opened. Surprise, surprise.

Charlie stood in the doorway, looking ashamed at being caught. "Oh, hey Bells."

I raised my eyebrows. "Hey dad. I was just going to take a quick shower before you got up."

"Now just hold on Bella." I sighed. "I know you know you're n trouble. But I want to know why. Why . . .?" He trailed off and I sighed

"It was a complete mix-up, Dad. I don't know what to tell you," I took a deep breath. "You see, Rosalie was talking to Edward about me, and she kind of accidentally made it sound like I was dead. It got out of hand, so I went down to . . . L.A. to sport everything out." I hoped he was too absorbed in my brilliant explanation to miss my slip. I hadn't even told him about the cliff diving. I smiled to myself.

He raised an eyebrow. "What does he care? I mean, he just left you here with _nothing, Bella, nothing. _And now, all of a sudden, he, he . . ." poor Charlie. He was having a hard night.

I sighed. "Well Dad, being apart, it didn't really work out well for either of us. He just figured I would find someone better than him, but he didn't want me to . . . I guess he just thought . . . I don't know what he thought, but . . ." yeah, so that wasn't exactly how I had wanted it sound. Oh well. At least it was true.

He sighed. "So, are they back?"

I glanced down and looked up again. "I _think_ they're all back, Dad. None of them really wanted to leave in the first place." This was also true. I silently snorted. L.A.

He grumbled. "Um, Dad? Could I, maybe, go now? We can continue this discussion later, but I _really _need a shower."

"Just one more thing, Bella." I sighed. And here it was. "I don't want you seeing him, Bella. He's bad news, and I won't see you hurt like that again."

How to word this nicely? He wasn't that much younger than Harry, after all. I didn't want him to have an aneurysm. "Well, Dad, this is a problem. I fully intend to continue dating Edward. That is not a question." I just had to hope he was telling the truth, and I was wrong about the tall, blonde, inhumanly beautiful, _other one._ "Edward isn't going anywhere, and as long as he's here, I'll be with him." I didn't mention that, even if he left, I would be with him. I wasn't going to be separated again.

He frowned. "Bella –"

"Dad, listen. I know you're worried about me. I understand that I was a zombie and you don't want me to go there back to that, and I don't want to either. But I won't. And if you don't like it, that's too bad, because I am certainly old enough to find my own place."

"Bella, so help me, I will send you back to your mother." He tried to sound menacing, but I wasn't buying it. I was too tired to deal with that right now.

"Dad, I will d the dishes and laundry and every other house chore you can think of until you think I've learned my lesson. I guess you're even within your rights to kick me out, too, but that won't make me go to Florida." His eyes bugged out.

I sighed. "Now that that is taken care of, can I please have a shower now?"

His mouth opened and closed for a minute without him saying anything, but he eventually walked out.

Edward was by my side in an instant. "Don't start anything with Charlie, please."

I smiled up at him. "I will start as much as I need to start and nothing more."

He beamed down at me, now that we had all of that talk out of the way. And then I was in his arms, encircled in his arms. He leaned forward slowly, giving me a choice. I smiled and closed that small distance between my lips and his. They came crashing together in the most healing, wonderful way. I had remembered how extravagant every one of Edward's kisses were, but this one blew them all out of the water.

_**I love it!! They are finally together again. Sigh. I got the idea for that last line from The Princess Bride. Such a great movie. Also, many thanks to for helping through many tough spots (;**_

_**Anyway, thanks for reading! Review for a preview!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**And now, the moment you have all been waiting for: Edward meets his mommy!! Awww; plus, he'll have is Bella with him! awww**_

_**Okay, lol. Here it is:**_

I couldn't believe he had talked me into this. I couldn't believe he still didn't know. I couldn't believe Charlie had let me go.

I sighed and leaned my head against the back of the seat. It had a long couple of days, what with Edward deciding to kill himself and all, but, now that I knew he really did love me, I could breathe easily. It was like the whole in my chest had been sewn back together.

I was still amazed. He really did love me as I loved him.

I chuckled and Alice looked over at me, eyebrows raised. I shook my head.

"I was just thinking about all the power you have over Charlie. You basically control my curfew." Of course Charlie had given me a really early curfew and taken away most of my basic rights as an American, but he didn't mind bending the rules when it came to Alice.

She frowned, and Edward laughed freely from the back seat where he had been recently hiding. Now that Charlie could no longer see into the car, he sat up freely, not seeming bothered in the least that he had to hide from a human one hundred times weaker than him, _in his own car. _I shook my head again.

"Will somebody _please _tell what's going on? I can't stand it." Edward implored. I grinned. Alice sure was good at hiding things.

We all knew he would be excited to see his mom after all these years, but every one of the Cullens had argued that he had to get things settled with me first. I hadn't minded too much, of course, but I didn't want to deprive Edward of any potential time with his biological mother.

"Nope," Alice brought me back to reality. I had been reminiscing about the night before. Edward had held me and sang to me until I fell asleep again. it had been wonderful, just like old times. and for the first time, I hadn't even had a nightmare. I had slept so peacefully, I had forgotten what it had felt like. "A surprise is a surprise, so that means no. back me up here Bella." Alice turned to me for help, and I was, once again, pulled from my thoughts.

I sighed. "For the last time, Edward, you don't get to know what's going on. This is for all the times you _insisted _on surprising me. Not so fun, now is it Cullen?" I teased him. and then I thought of something. "Except, this you'll love, so it's not really pay back. Oh well. I'll think of something."

I turned around and smiled at him to let him know I was joking. He wrinkled his nose but smiled nonetheless. I laughed and that only broadened his already wide smile. It hurt to look at.

Edward looked around, looking confused. I understood how he felt. How many had Alice made me think he had some huge surprise, and then ended up just taking me to her house? Except, then, it almost guaranteed that a makeover would soon follow, and Alice wasn't planning on playing Guinea Pig Barbie with my boyfriend. I giggled.

He looked at me, eyebrows. How alike he and his sister were! I just grinned and faced the front again.

He let out an exasperated sigh as Alice made the last turn into the three-mile-long driveway of the Cullen home. I knew he hated it when I kept my thoughts from him, but there was no way he was calling me on this one. He would find out soon enough. He just had to be patient.

As we got closer to the house, his eyebrows furrowed. The rest of the family was keeping their thoughts from him. And then his head whipped up and I could see the look of shock on his face. It mingled with confusion.

I smiled gently. "Welcome home, Edward." I said, just as the car came to a stop.

He was out of car and pulling open my door before I could blink. And then I was in his arms and he was kissing me. My head spun as I fought for breath, but he soon released me. I almost fell to the ground but Edward caught me in time. He leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"That sounds so perfect coming from you. I am truly home now." I smiled. He had no idea.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door. It was a good thing he decided to play along; otherwise I would not have been moving.

Alice came bounding up the steps, smiling broadly. I mirrored her, stepping in front of the door s that when Carlisle opened the door I could swoop in dramatically and be the first to introduce mother and son. We had basically practiced it, though it was all Alice's idea. Carlisle had thought it would be best coming from me.

Edward put his hands on his hips, glaring at us playfully. I couldn't help the giggle that slipped through my teeth. And then Edward deviated from the plan (though, in all fairness, he didn't know about it) and scooped me up and out of the way. He opened the door with his other hand, now cradling me in one arm. I have to say, I wasn't all that upset about it. I was still a little breathless.

Alice, on the other hand, pouted with all her might, until I shot her a look. She understood what I meant: this was Edward's day. It would go the way he wanted it to go, from now on. Our only job was to get him where he needed to be.

Edward took the first step inside and froze when he saw their guest. I gently climbed out of his arms and onto the safety of the ground.

Edward's eyes were huge and round, and his mouth was hanging open. He still hadn't moved. Emmett chuckled. Esme glared at him.

Finally, as nothing happened, Carlisle stepped in. "Son, we have a guest. She has a very fascinating story, if you would like to hear it."

Edward glanced down at me, still standing at his side. "you knew?" I nodded slowly, hoping I hadn't hurt his feelings by not telling him.

"We all wanted it to be a surprise. She came here before any of you had gotten back. She said she was looking for Carlisle, but I knew who she was. And then Alice showed, and then you went to Volterra, and everything went haywire. We wanted you to know, but we didn't want to overwhelm you."

If he could have cried, I think he would have.

Edward looked at his real mother with new eyes. "How . . .?"

Carlisle chuckled. We all looked at him. he gestured towards the couches, saying, "Why don't we all sit down. Elizabeth has a fascinating story for us all."

Of course, we all knew the story, save for Edward, but we all sat down. This was Edward's day.

Edward pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around my waist as Elizabeth Masen began to retell her story to the one person she had been looking for for over ninety years.

_**This was a very aawww chapter. Tell me what you think! Didn't it seem like such a good place to end? Should I keep going? **_

_**P.S. – I will start writing outtakes as soon as I am sure this story is complete. Tell me if there is anything you would like to see, i.e: chapter from a dif POV, missing moment, etc.**_

_**Give me ideas so I know what to write about. I will definitely do this last chapter from Edward's POV, and the first chapter with all of the Cullen's from jus Bella' POV. Is there anything else you would like to see???**_


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